Goal: To monitor or track all priority birds in cliff/rock habitats and document distribution, population trends, and abundance in a statistically acceptable manner.

Objective: Monitor all known Black Swift colonies and survey potential habitat for new nest sites.

Strategy: The U.S. Forest Service and CBO's Monitoring Colorado's Birds (MCB) will take the lead in developing a statewide monitoring program for the Black Swift.

Status: The MCB program for monitoring the Black Swift is partially implemented. It has developed a data base of historical sites, and in 1999 visited 65% of them and found four new sites.

Objective: Continue with long-term statewide monitoring of Peregrine Falcon.

Strategy: The Colorado Division of Wildlife will take the lead in a statewide monitoring program for the Peregrine Falcon, with continued reliance on USFS, CDOW, NPS, BLM, and others to monitor known nest sites.

Status: Monitoring for the Peregrine Falcon is fully implemented.

Habitat Monitoring.

Goal: To document the amount, condition, and ownership of cliff/rock habitats in Colorado.

Objective: Develop collaborative efforts to use GIS in mapping cliff/rock habitats, documenting amount, condition, and ownership.

Status: This effort has not been initiated to date. Potential collaborators include CDOW, CNHP, CBO, USGS, NPS, BLM, and TNC.

Habitat Core Areas

Goal: To conserve unique representatives and/or core areas of Black Swift nesting colonies and a high concentration of breeding Peregrine Falcons in Colorado.

Objective: Identify unique representative and/or core areas.

Objective: Identify agency- or organization-specific means of designating and conserving unique representatives and/or core areas (e.g., state management areas, refuges, wilderness areas, etc.).

Objective: Identify any of these core areas that are appropriate for designation as Important Bird Areas (IBAs), nominate them, and promote involvement of local groups in conserving these areas once they are designated.

Status: Sites with cliff/rock habitat were nominated in 1999, and the IBA committee will make final selections in 2000.

Objective: Promote collaboration/cooperation between agencies, organizations, and individuals in conserving unique representatives and/or core areas with multiple ownership.

Site-based Conservation

Goal: To conserve local sites that are important for the conservation of the Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon in Colorado. These sites may include key nesting spots (e.g., cliffs, nest colonies, individual nest sites, historic sites etc.).

Objective: Identify agency- or organization-specific means of designating and conserving key local sites, work with the appropriate agency or organization to designate them, and promote conservation activities (e.g., temporary closures on nest sites, protocols in management plans, exclusion of certain activities such as rock climbing during important times of the year).

Objective: Identify key local sites that are appropriate for designation as IBAs, nominate them, and promote involvement of local groups in conserving these areas once they are designated.

Status: The Box Canyon Black Swift nesting site was nominated in 1999, and the IBA committee will make final selections in 2000.

Management Practices

Goal: To promote management practices that benefit birds in cliff/rock habitat.

Objective: Develop a BMP manual for the Black Swifts.

Status: Not yet initiated.

Objective: Identify key landowners and/or land managers and ask them to incorporate best management practices to conserve the Black Swifts and Peregrine Falcons and their habitat in Colorado.

Objective: Maintain or increase the quality of Black Swift colonies.

Strategy: Some potential nest sites may currently be unsuitable for Black Swift nesting due to encroachment by trees. Prescribed burns or tree thinning should be encouraged around known or potential nest sites to improve access. Encourage land managers to take advantage of funding opportunities for creating/restoring/maintaining Black Swift nest sites on the lands they manage.

Objective: Maintain nesting habitat for the Peregrine Falcon, which would include foraging areas around nest sites.

Interstate/International Wintering Grounds

Goal: To conserve the wintering ground habitat used by the Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon outside of Colorado.

Objective: Identify the wintering distribution and key habitat associations for the Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon (Mexico, Central and South America).

Objective: Document the amount, condition, and ownership of key wintering habitats.

Strategy: Coordinate with appropriate state PIFs, domestic and foreign government agencies, NGOs.

Strategy: Develop collaborative efforts with other states and countries on projects (e.g., education, research, fund-raising, donations, etc.) which benefit the Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon on their winter grounds.

Migration Concerns

Goal: To protect high priority birds for cliff/rock habitat in migration.

Objective: Determine if there are migration concerns for the Black Swift.

Status: Presently migration concerns for the Black Swift are unknown.

Objective: Document amount, condition, and ownership of key migration habitats for the Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon.

Strategy: Develop collaborative efforts with other states and countries on projects (e.g., education, research, fund-raising, donations, etc.) which benefit the Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon on their migration grounds.

Outreach and Education

Goal: Provide information on Black Swifts and Peregrine Falcons (conservation, habitat needs, natural history, etc.) to children, teachers, naturalists, landowners, natural resource professionals, rock climbing organizations, and other interested parties.

Objective: Prepare a booklet about Black Swifts. Information on the Peregrine Falcon is currently available.

Strategy: Make educational materials available at local nature centers and natural resource agency offices.

Strategy: Hold workshops and field programs for teachers.

Strategy: Hold workshops and field programs for natural resource professionals.

Strategy: Use the annual International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) to supply local media outlets with information on priority species and habitats, organize informational activities for school children and the public, provide guided natural history viewing opportunities, and promote local conservation activities in which people can become involved.

Strategy: Integrate information materials into existing education programs (Project Wild, Balarat, other programs for children and adults).

Strategy: Present information at Teacher Association meetings, conferences, other annual meetings.

Strategy: Submit manuscripts to popular magazines for children and adults, also those targeted at rock climbers and landowners.

Research Priorities

Goal: To identify and facilitate research that will aid in understanding and managing cliff/rock habitats for their high priority bird species.

Objective: To identify the top ten research needs in cliff/rock habitat in Colorado.

Strategy: Update the list of research needs annually to reflect shifting conservation priorities and to remove research needs from the list as they are investigated.

Strategy: Solicit input from researchers and managers on research needs and accomplishments.

Status: The following research needs have been identified:

1. Determine the effects on Black Swift populations of large-scale wildland fires and prescribed fires in foraging habitat and restoration efforts by land managers.

2. Identify the key migratory stopover and wintering areas and habitats of Black Swifts.

3. Test and evaluate monitoring protocols for the Black Swift (breeding only).

4, Conduct demographic studies of Black Swifts.

5. Determine what impacts may be occurring due to rock climbing during the summer and ice climbing during the winter (Black Swift colonies) and due to hikers or other disturbances during the breeding season (Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon).

6. Identify Black Swift and Peregrine Falcon nesting habitat most susceptible to disturbance.

7. Determine whether habitat around colonies and/or nest sites is adequate for foraging Black Swifts and Peregrine Falcons.

9. Identify principal wintering areas for Black Swifts and Peregrine Falcons in Mexico, Central or South America.